Hey, anyway you slice it, a win over UNC in North Carolina is a BIG win.
Way to go, Pitt Panthers for putting that 80-75 win on the board against the North Carolina Tar Heels this afternoon in the quarter-finals of the ACC tournament. After what can charitably be described as a sluggish second half of their ACC schedule, the Panthers performance in this tourney, regardless of what transpires from here on in, should serve to keep the "let's-get-rid-of-Jamie-Dixon" crowd quiet for awhile.
Which brings me to a pet peeve of mine. I heard the ESPN announcers, and saw it on the Pitt Basketball Chat Facebook page this afternoon, refer to the "Howland-Dixon" era of Pitt basketball. I believe that Jamie Dixon has earned the right to no longer have his named coupled with Ben "I'm Staying at Pitt" Howland when discussing Pitt basketball. True, Westwood Ben brought Dixon here as an assistant, and that can probably be seen as his biggest contribution to Pitt basketball, prior to him taking his dream job at UCLA. In my mind, Jamie has surpassed Howland in accomplishments at Pitt and can stand alone whenever such things as "eras" are discussed.
Showing posts with label Ben Howland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ben Howland. Show all posts
Friday, March 14, 2014
Friday, March 2, 2012
Ben Howland in the News
I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of this week's Sports Illustrated so I can read all about the mess that Ben Howland has found himself in out there in Westwood. Seems that Coach Ben has been turning a blind eye to bad behaviour amongst his Bruins hoopsters, and that a renegade program is now running amok at UCLA. Or, at least, that is what the news reports would have you believe. As I said, I will wait to read the SI story before forming a final opinion.
The news, however, prompted me to recall my final memory of Ben during his days at Pitt. During that final season, the rumors were circulating that UCLA was wooing Ben and that he would be leaving Pitt, despite having recently signed a long term extension with the Panthers. I recall that he was interviewed on Mike & Mike in the Morning and being asked about these reports. Ben then stated that he wasn't thinking about UCLA, that he had every intention of fulfilling his commitment with Pitt. I recall a friend at work commenting to me that, if he "ends up going to UCLA after what he said to Mike & Mike this morning, then he's nothing more than a lying s.o.b.", or words to that effect.
And we all know what happened. Soon thereafter, Ben was being introduced at Pauley Pavillion as the new UCLA coach, and the name of John Wooden was being tearfully invoked. This doesn't make him exactly the same as Todd Graham, but it doesn't make him all that much different, either.
It seems to me that Howland is remembered in the pantheon of Pittsburgh sports coaches with a higher degree of reverence than what his actual accomplishments merit. I know that others may disagree, but, as I said, just my opinion. Perhaps Ben's greatest accomplishment was bringing Jamie Dixon to Pitt.
The news, however, prompted me to recall my final memory of Ben during his days at Pitt. During that final season, the rumors were circulating that UCLA was wooing Ben and that he would be leaving Pitt, despite having recently signed a long term extension with the Panthers. I recall that he was interviewed on Mike & Mike in the Morning and being asked about these reports. Ben then stated that he wasn't thinking about UCLA, that he had every intention of fulfilling his commitment with Pitt. I recall a friend at work commenting to me that, if he "ends up going to UCLA after what he said to Mike & Mike this morning, then he's nothing more than a lying s.o.b.", or words to that effect.
And we all know what happened. Soon thereafter, Ben was being introduced at Pauley Pavillion as the new UCLA coach, and the name of John Wooden was being tearfully invoked. This doesn't make him exactly the same as Todd Graham, but it doesn't make him all that much different, either.
It seems to me that Howland is remembered in the pantheon of Pittsburgh sports coaches with a higher degree of reverence than what his actual accomplishments merit. I know that others may disagree, but, as I said, just my opinion. Perhaps Ben's greatest accomplishment was bringing Jamie Dixon to Pitt.
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